


Sharp Dressed Skeleton

by SheeWolf85



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol, Communication, Crossdressing, Dorks in Love, Drinking, Fluff, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Minor Angst, Misogyny, Misunderstanding, Other, Pining, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Spicyhoney, Sort of? - Freeform, Yearning, drunk Edge, lawyer Edge, secretary Stretch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:00:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23620465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheeWolf85/pseuds/SheeWolf85
Summary: Edge is a successful lawyer and Stretch is his secretary. Edge might be a little insecure about his appearance, but Stretch sure can't enough eyefuls of his boss wearing that sexy outfit.This is all an excuse to write Edge in a sexy business skirt suit and heels. The boy loves his heels.
Relationships: Papyrus/Papyrus (Undertale), Pre-Spicyhoney - Relationship, Spicyhoney
Comments: 46
Kudos: 93





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I....have no explanation for this. I wanted to see Edge wear a nice women's suit to work, is all, and this happened.

Stretch sighed as he sat down at his desk. He’d gotten to work a little early hoping to get caught up on a few things he had left to finish from yesterday, and being Friday, he had today to finish them up before the weekend. 

How the hell he’d ended up here was a mystery, but he wasn’t about to complain. Sure, the work was hard and he actually had to use his brain sometimes, but it was rewarding and paid well. And, well, he also got to work alongside the sexiest monster he’d ever laid eyes on. 

And by alongside, he meant for. He was secretary to Edge, a prolific lawyer who’d already made a name for himself in the monster community and was slowly taking on more human cases as they realized he not only knew what he was doing but did it better than everyone else. 

Edge was the kind of monster some might describe as a permanent asshole. Stars knew Stretch had said that about him once. He was particular about how he liked things and seemed to always demand perfection. After having become his secretary, Stretch started to realize that wasn’t exactly true. Not as far as he’d once believed anyway. 

Rather, Edge was always encouraging people to be and do better. And sure, he could be an actual asshole in certain situations that Stretch felt like cringing about just remembering them, he wasn’t like that all the time. He was kind to his brother and to children, he was downright soft with animals, and he seemed like he’d be one hell of a kisser. 

Stretch felt himself blush. He shouldn’t be thinking those things about his boss. But, hell, was it really his fault that Edge always looked so good in his tailored suits and smelled divine and spoke with that fucking sexy voice, and shit, Stretch was going to have a problem soon if he didn’t stop this train of thought. 

The door to the office opened, effectively shoving all thought from his skull as he watched Edge stride in. 

“Good morning, Stretch,” he said in his typical stern way. “Will you check my calendar this afternoon and see if I have time for an appointment around two o’clock? If I do, please call this number and make the appointment.” He set a sticky note down on the desk next to Stretch’s keyboard and went to unlock his office door. 

Stretch could only stare with his mouth slightly agape. Edge was wearing a suit that had to have been tailored to his form, that much was typical, but almost everything else about it was very much the opposite. 

For starters, the most color Edge typically managed to include in his outfits was either a red or gold tie and maybe some shiny cufflinks. The suit Edge was wearing was almost all a deep crimson shade that matched his eye lights with black accents on the lapels and pockets of the blazer. The shirt under the blazer was a silky black that Stretch found himself itching to touch. Was it as smooth as it looked?

Second, in all the time Stretch had known Edge, even in the year before he became his secretary and all two and a half years since, Edge had only ever worn pants and shiny black loafers. Certainly the epitome of professional for a lawyer. Now, however, the crimson skirt he was in cut off just barely below his knees and showed off his strong legs, and the sky-high, shiny black stilettos could probably double as weapons, but fuck if they didn’t give Stretch some very, very bad thoughts. 

Without thinking, Stretch got up to follow Edge into his office. With his heels, Edge was actually as tall as him, and Stretch had to wonder if this new outfit had anything to do with the height insults they’d thrown at each other the day before. 

He could only stare as Edge strode over to his desk, as confident in his steps as ever before, and bent ever so slightly to arrange a few things before he sat down. He looked up at Stretch then, and the crimson of his eye lights seemed so much brighter with the color of his blazer. Goddamn, he was gorgeous. 

“Can I help you?” He asked. 

Stretch shut his mouth and swallowed. “uhh…” What were words again? “you, uh, look nice,” he finally managed. 

He caught the faintest hint of a blush rising on Edge’s cheekbones before he stiffened his back and nodded. 

“Yes, I know. Thank you. Is there anything else?”

Was there ever. How did one go about asking to go out with their boss and maybe kiss them silly without getting fired?

Stretch shook his head. “i don’t think so? i’ll go, um, look at that...that thing you wanted me to look at.” He’d so much rather stand right here and just look at Edge all day, but then nothing would get done. He almost didn’t care. 

Edge raised a brow. “That would be appreciated.”

Forcing himself to turn around and go back to his desk, Stretch flopped down in his chair and scrubbed at his sockets. How was he supposed to do actual work with his boss looking like that? 

He shook his head at himself. It wasn’t Edge’s fault he was so damn hot, and work still needed to get done. The first thing he did was look at the calendar. Edge did indeed have time for a half-hour meeting at two-o’clock in the office, so he called the number to schedule. 

The guy was an absolute asshole, but hardly the first one Stretch had ever had to deal with. He wanted Stretch to answer the types of questions only Edge knew how to answer and got upset when he wouldn’t transfer him right on over to “the one who knows what he’s talking about.” Yeah, fuck you too, buddy. You can wait for your appointment like everyone else.

After that delightful phone call, Stretch took a breath to calm down and get to work. Throughout the morning, his thoughts kept circling back to Edge. What had prompted him to wear that outfit today? Whatever it was, Stretch kind of wanted to write it a nice thank you card and maybe buy it dinner.

It wasn’t just because he was nice to look at. Over the last two and a half years that he’d been Edge’s secretary, he’d learned a lot about him and the strange insecurities he had. He wore such nice clothes all the time because it made him feel good about himself. Stretch had gathered little hints here and there that all added up to a discomfort showing himself to others, and that included being in front of the jury and audience in court. He was sensitive about his scars, and it seemed wearing beautiful clothing made it easier to ignore them. 

Well, Stretch certainly wasn’t going to argue with the results, even if he did wish he could help convince Edge that he was beautiful even on the rare occasion they’d seen each other outside of the office and Edge was in a nice t-shirt and jeans. He’d probably have to say Edge was even sexier then, except his obvious discomfort wasn’t something Stretch wanted to keep at the forefront of his memory.

Lunch time rolled around faster than it seemed it should have, and Edge came out of his office to eat with Stretch as he’d been known to do on occasion. Stretch had brought some soup his brother had made and Edge had a salad with far too much fruit in it. Stretch was pretty sure lettuce and fruit didn’t go together nearly as well as some people seemed to think they did. Especially not with dressing. And even more especially not with meat of any kind. 

As they ate, they talked about their dogs. Stretch had an overgrown cotton ball masquerading as a pomeranian while Edge had two pitbull puppies he’d rescued. It was good to laugh with his boss as they talked about the different antics the pups got up to. 

After lunch, it was right back to work. Edge came out of his office a few minutes to two and strode over to Stretch’s desk. He handed him a small document, only three pages. 

“I need you to look at this and tell me if you can see anything at all that mentions a cat.” He sounded weary, like he’d probably already read the thing five times and was getting a headache. 

“yeah, sure,” Stretch took the document and leaned back in his chair to read it over. Halfway through the first page, Edge leaned over the desk, resting down on his elbows. That just wasn’t fair. Forcing his attention on the papers, he continued reading and pretending that he didn’t see how fucking shapely Edge’s lower back and legs were and how he could probably see the lines of his pelvis through his skirt if he was perverted enough to look, and--

No, dammit, Edge didn’t deserve that. Nobody deserved that. He was so much more than a pretty figure. 

He made it through the document and cleared his throat. “I didn’t see anything about a cat,” he said, handing the papers back. 

Edge huffed. “That’s what I thought, but I’ve had a hell of a time focusing today. Thank you.”

Just as he was about to turn around and head back to his office, the main office door opened. A human male in his mid-thirties strode in wearing a pair of dark blue slacks and a white and gray patterned button-up with a tie. 

Stretch sat up straighter and smiled. “good afternoon; how can i help you?”

But the man didn’t look at him. He was looking at Edge with an honestly creepy smirk. “Hey, sweetheart. You wanna do me a favor and go get the big boss for me?” 

Stretch could actually feel Edge bristle. He quickly stood up and walked over to the man. 

“you might wanna direct that question to me, buddy. are you mark?”

The guy who might be Mark scowled at him. “Why would I want to talk to you when I could talk to her?” he gestured with his head to Edge. 

Stretch just sighed. “because i’m edge’s secretary and all checkins go through me. if you want to talk to him, you come check in.”

Mark rolled his eyes. “Fine.” But he turned back to Edge as he was walking back to his office. “But hey, sweetheart, mind grabbing me a cup of coffee?”

Already annoyed beyond belief, Stretch reached out and snapped his fingers in front of the guy’s face. “hey, can you stop being disrespectful for two seconds? he’s not getting you anything.”

Mark looked at Stretch for a second, then at the now-empty doorway to Edge’s office, then back at Stretch. “He? But she’s wearing a skirt?”

Stretch sighed. “aren’t you a fun one? monsters don’t conform to your so-called gender laws. first thing you gotta remember is that edge identifies as a dude; please stop calling him ‘she’.”

That really got Mark’s attention. “Wait a fucking second!  _ That  _ was Edge?” 

A little slow on the uptake, wasn’t he? “yes. now, if you’ll have a seat, he already knows you’re here and will come get you in a moment.”

He did not like where this was going, not at all. Some humans could be so insensitive and brash, and it seemed like Mark was one of them. Edge was already insecure about his appearance, and sure, he looked nice, but he wasn’t dressed up like that to be eye candy. 

Setting down his latest project, Stretch got up and went into Edge’s office. He shut the door behind him and locked it just to be sure that Mark couldn’t walk in before Edge was ready. 

Edge was staring at his computer screen with enough intensity to blow the thing up as he typed furiously. Stretch calmly walked up and took a seat on the other side of the desk. 

“you could just tell him to fuck off,” Stretch offered. 

“He said his case is extremely important and could only be handled by the best.” Edge stopped typing and looked at Stretch. “I’m the best.”

Stretch smirked. “yeah, you are, but he also seems like the kind of guy to say that about anything that doesn’t go his way.”

Edge sighed like he couldn’t help but agree with Stretch. But then he shook his head. “I can’t just push him away without hearing the details.”

And this was part of the reason why Edge was so much more than people gave him credit for. Stretch nodded; he’d already known Edge was going to hear the man out, but he had to try. 

“do you want me to send him in?” 

After a moment to steel himself, Edge nodded. “Yes, please.”

He left then, hesitating only a moment at the door. He had a bad feeling about this, but he wouldn’t go against Edge’s word. It wasn’t like Edge couldn’t take care of himself. Any physical threat would be dealt with expertly. It was the emotional threat Stretch was worried about. He couldn’t help but fear that Edge had warred with himself about that outfit and now would never let himself wear anything like it again because of assholes like Mark. 

Instead of saying any of that, he left the room and ushered Mark in. He didn’t shut the door again, but he didn’t listen in. He just needed to be sure he could hear if anything were to happen. He went and sat at his desk to pretend to work while he worried about his boss.

Almost immediately, things started happening. 

“I’d caution you to watch what you say to me,” Edge warned in a dangerous tone. 

Stretch couldn’t hear Mark’s response. Or much of anything else for that matter, until something hard hit the wall and what sounded like a picture frame clattered to the floor. Stretch got up in a hurry and rushed into the office to see Edge holding Mark up by his throat, his back pressed against the wall. 

“Is this how you treat the women in your field?” Edge growled in his face. “I am disgusted by you! I would never represent filth such as yourself. The one thing I’m glad of is that I have her information to reach out and perhaps give her a fighting chance.” He stepped back and dropped Mark back to the floor. Brushing off the front of his suit, he snarled, “now get the fuck out of my office.”

Mark scrambled to his feet and rushed over to the door. “I’m suing you for assault!” 

Edge raised a brow at him. “You do realize I could do the same, don’t you?”

Mark’s face turned red, and he stormed out of the office. 

The moment the door shut behind him, Edge sagged into one of the visitor chairs at his desk. Stretch went over hesitantly and sat next to him. 

“are you okay?” he asked quietly. 

Edge sighed. “I should have listened to you.”

“eh, maybe, but then when do i have good ideas?” 

Edge looked over at him. “Far more often than you give yourself credit for.”

That was unexpected. Stretch swallowed. “for real, though, that guy was an asshole and a half. just ignore whatever he said, yeah?”

They were both silent for a few moments, just sitting next to each other. No work was getting done, and normally that would annoy both of them, Edge especially. He wasn’t the type to sit still, especially on the job. 

Finally, Edge looked over at Stretch with something odd in his expression. “Do you think differently of me today?”

Confused, Stretch leaned forward. “what do you mean? how would i think differently about you?”

Edge sighed. “Because of what I’m wearing.”

Oh. That. Well, wasn’t this just the most exciting minefield ever? 

“I don’t want you to sugarcoat your words to make me feel better. You know I hate that. Just tell me, yes or no.” 

Stretch furrowed his brow. “it’s not that simple.”

“How is it not that simple?” Edge looked at him with something pleading in his sockets. 

“well, see, as far as you being my boss and how i respect you? no, i don’t think of you any differently.” He realized then that he could have just said no and be done with it. He didn’t have to think so hard about it, but now he was in too deep and there was no way in hell Edge was going to just take that as his answer.

As if proving his point, Edge gestured for Stretch to continue. 

He took a deep breath and shifted in his seat. “but then, i kinda like to think of you as my friend. and it’s not so much that i think of you differently, but it’s more that i have this broader view of who you are as a whole person, y’know?”

He was surprised when Edge snorted. “I know you’re lying to me. First of all, i don’t have friends. Second, even if I did have friends, you wouldn’t be one of them.” 

Ouch. 

Well, that was certainly an eye opener of a statement. He sat stunned for a moment before he finally cleared his throat again and stood up. 

“see, it’s not what you wear that make people change how they think of you, it’s the shit you say. it’s real nice to know where we stand. i’ll get back to work now.”

He didn’t listen to Edge calling his name. He should have known, all this time, that he wasn’t good enough to be in Edge’s circle. He was a secretary, not a friend. Yeah, they talked at lunch and shit, but that wasn’t friendship. He felt himself jump when Edge slammed his door. All he had to do was get through the next two hours and hope that things could go back to normal on Monday. 

Who was he kidding? Whatever ‘normal’ they’d managed to work out was gone. Funny thing was, before today, Stretch would have said that he and Edge got along well. And yeah, that was different than friendship, but he couldn’t help but wonder just how much Edge looked down on him. Was he really as appreciated as Edge had made him feel, or was that just some stupid manipulation shit to make him not quit? It wasn’t like he’d quit anyway; he needed the money. 

He just needed to rearrange his thoughts, was all. He needed to remember that people called Edge an asshole for a reason, and he was no one special to get a glimpse of another side of his boss. 

At four o’clock, Edge’s door opened. Stretch didn’t look over. Neither of them said anything at all as Edge walked through the room and out the main office. It was maybe a little surprising; Edge didn’t leave early and any errands such as checking the mail or running to the bank was left to Stretch. He decided not to think on it too much. Edge had made it perfectly clear that Stretch had no rights to know anything beyond his duties as a secretary. 

Not two minutes later, a new email came in from Edge. There was no subject. Stretch swallowed and opened it, praying it wasn’t something about how he’d crossed a line and now Edge was going to have to let him go. 

He was surprised when the first line was an apology.

_ Stretch, _

_ I’m sorry for what I said earlier. I didn’t mean that I wouldn’t choose you to be my friend. As a lawyer, one would think I would consider the impact of my words before I say them, but that’s not always the case. What I meant was that I’m fairly certain you would not want a boring person such as myself as your friend.  _

_ I say that I don’t have any friends because the people that do want to be around me are there for my money. I don’t want to believe that about you, but I can’t think of any other reason you would want to call yourself my friend. _

_ You have been nothing but a blessing to my life, Stretch. I mean that in more ways than I can express. I’ve very much enjoyed having you as my secretary, and I hope you’ll stay for a long while yet.  _

_ I would not be opposed to having you as a friend, if it were real. If it’s not real, if it’s because you pity me or want the accolades of being my friend or you want my money, then please do us both a favor and keep our relationship strictly professional. _

_ If it’s real, if you would honestly choose me to be your friend even if I weren’t a successful lawyer, then please consider joining me for a few drinks tonight.  _

_ Whatever happens, whether you show or not, your job will not be affected. _

Edge then signed the email with his standard email signature. 

Stretch found himself re-reading the email for the third time, trying to make sure that Edge meant what he really hoped he meant. 

Like hell he was going to miss out on drinks with Edge. Or an opportunity to show him that some people actually kind of liked him for who he was rather than what he did for a living or how much money he made. 

He made a decision and started shutting everything down and putting things away where he could easily get to them on Monday. It felt like a grand total of nothing had gotten done that day, but that was alright. He’d make up for it next week. 

He grabbed his jacket and, after making sure all the lights were out, hurried out to lock the office door behind him. 

He made it to the bar Edge had mentioned in his email and took a deep breath before heading inside. He found Edge quickly and was only a little dismayed that he’d obviously gone home and changed. That was just fine; like he’d told Edge earlier, it wasn’t his clothing that made him who he was. 

He walked up and leaned against the bar. “are you a time traveler? because i see you in my future.” He winked when Edge looked up at him. 

Without missing a beat, Edge responded, “Yes, at the office on Monday.” 

Stretch chuckled as he sat down in the stool next to Edge. There was an awkward silence that lasted a second too long before Edge cleared his throat. 

“Does this mean you accept my apology?”

He couldn’t help but smile when Edge peeked at him, an uncertainty in his face that Stretch had never seen before. “yeah, ‘course i do. what are friends for, huh?”

Edge smiled then, small, but an even rarer sight than uncertainty. “Thank you for coming.”

Stretch only nodded back and ordered his drink when the bartender came around. Yeah, maybe he was interested in more than just friends with Edge, but friends was a fine place to start. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What can I say? My hand slipped and I ended up writing two more chapters. Whoops. 
> 
> It’s almost 1am, I am deliriously tired, but I want to get this out now because I’m afraid I won’t get it out before I have to be to work in the morning. This has been edited, but again, it’s late, so please forgive any glaring errors. I’ll do my best to edit better after work tomorrow (today?).
> 
> Also! The last chapter (3) will be posted either tonight (tomorrow night? Fuck, this is confusing! Thursday night!) or Friday morning, depending on how I feel after work.
> 
> All that being said, I hope you enjoy!

See, the thing was, Stretch didn’t like to wear black that often. Or at least, not a lot of it. He liked color and designs and yeah, he couldn’t exactly wear his wildest shirts to work, but he liked them and wore them on his days off. At work, he wore some variation of a colorful button-up under a blue or gray blazer and some nice slacks. And maybe the slacks were black, but he had color, and that was the point he was trying to make here. 

He pulled up to Edge’s house and shifted uncomfortably in the driver’s seat. The clothes weren’t all that bad, they were actually pretty damn nice, but he felt a little overwhelmed by this whole entire thing. 

Firstly, why did Edge invite him to the lawyer’s ceremony where he was going to be getting some big-shot award? Why not invite one of his lawyer friends? 

Well, okay, that was simple enough to answer, honestly. It was because his lawyer friends would all be jealous that he was the one getting the award and not them. And maybe also because Edge didn’t want to spend any great deal of time with them unless he had to. 

But that still begged the question of why him. 

Secondly, Edge had requested that he wear black. And, yeah, he hadn’t said anything about  _ all _ black, but the white shirts all made him look like a butler and he wasn’t sure if Edge meant he didn’t want Stretch to embarrass him with bright colors or what, but he ultimately decided on black everything. Even his socks were black. It was weird. 

Stretch finally turned the car off and took a few deep breaths before getting out and walking up to the door. 

Edge’s house wasn’t extravagant. It wasn’t some mansion on a hill worthy of a lawyer like him. Instead, it was a simple two-story home in the suburb that spoke of moderate wealth. Stretch knocked and straightened his tie as much as he could. It had been forever since he’d had to tie one of these things, and he’d had to redo it five times to get it to look something like it should. It still didn’t seem right; the knot was too bulky and the ends didn’t line up right. 

Edge answered the door and stepped back to let him in. 

“Thank you for coming,” he said, shutting the door behind them. 

Stretch cleared his throat and nodded. “uh, yeah, of course.” 

Ever since that day Edge had worn the skirt to work, he’d gotten a little more creative in his outfits. Stretch was all too happy that the asshole that day hadn’t ruined it for Edge, especially since he got to reap the benefits of a nice view. 

Today was no exception. He was wearing a pantsuit that leaned on the feminine side, black blazer with elegant frills on the bottom hem and a single gold button holding it together over a white, ruffled shirt and sleek black slacks. Damn, he was gorgeous. 

It made Stretch all the more painfully aware that he looked like the grim reaper. He really wished now he’d opted for some other color shirt to go under his jacket. Even white would have been acceptable; he could handle looking like Edge’s butler for an evening. He tried again to straighten his tie; the least he could do was be as presentable a reaper as possible.

“I didn’t mean you had to wear all black, Stretch, but I appreciate the effort you put into this. You look nice.” 

Before Stretch could say a thing about it, Edge stepped up close to him and pushed his hands out of the way to start undoing his tie. Stretch swallowed thickly and just stood there, letting Edge do whatever he wanted. This close, he could smell the perfume Edge had put on, and by god it was delectable. Sweet and spicy, he smelled as tantalizing as he looked. 

“Would you like a different color tie, or are you okay with this black one?” Edge asked, looking up at him. He seemed shorter than usual, but Stretch didn’t have the brainpower to figure out why. 

Words failed him. Somehow or another, he managed to mumble out something that sounded like an answer, because Edge gave him that secret smile he’d grown to love and began tying the black tie around his neck once more. 

Whatever he did, the tie behaved this time. It was a little snug, but that was fine. 

“There you go,” Edge said, patting his chest. 

But he didn’t step back right away, and all Stretch could think was that he could so easily wrap his arms around Edge and pull him in, hug him tightly and breathe in his scent, feel his body pressed up against him. 

He resisted, not willing to risk the friendship they’d built up. “does this really look okay?” he managed to croak. 

Edge nodded, his fingers wrapping delicately around the lapels of Stretch’s jacket. “Yes, it does. You always look so handsome.”

Wait, what?

A slight pink blush rose on Edge’s cheekbones before he finally stepped back and cleared his throat. He walked over to the couch where he stepped into a pair of stilettos and picked up a briefcase. Stretch followed him out of the house and waited while Edge set the alarm and then locked the door. 

They took Edge’s car to the event, and Stretch took a moment to let himself be completely overwhelmed while Edge took care of the valet parking. The venue was a beautiful, sprawling hotel that looked more like a cross between a mansion and a castle. There was a large koi pond with a fountain in the middle and lights all around it. Groups of people, all in various stages of formal or business attire, were walking into the building. Stretch recognized a few of them from meetings Edge would have in the office. 

Then Edge turned to him and grumbled something about the valet’s snarky comments before leading the way inside. 

The inside of the hotel was even more opulent, decorated in whites and golds with black accents. On the way to the banquet hall where the ceremony was supposedly taking place, they were interrupted by more than one of Edge’s colleagues. They all talked for a few minutes, and while Stretch honestly did try to pay attention, he found himself daydreaming about what could have happened if he and Edge had to travel for this ceremony. They would have had to share a hotel room. Of course, in his fantasies, there would be some kind of mix up, leaving them with only one bed. Such a shame. 

“And who is this?” someone asked, reaching out to touch Stretch’s elbow. He was pretty sure he imagined the way the guy looked him over and the way Edge stepped a touch closer to him.

“This is my secretary, Stretch.”

The other person, Stretch couldn’t remember his name, but he was a short human with a thick black goatee, looked taken aback. “Your secretary?”

Stretch swallowed. He still wasn’t sure why Edge had invited him. 

But Edge only stared at him defiantly. “Yes, is that a problem?”

Goatee Man shook his head. “No, of course not. It’s just unusual is all.” 

Edge hummed. “Perhaps it is. Well, we’d better go find our seats before they start.” 

He turned and walked away, grabbing Stretch by the arm and all but tugging him along. Stretch nearly tripped over his own feet but managed to keep from not only causing a scene but also potentially breaking something. 

If the lobby of the hotel was opulent, the banquet hall was downright ostentatious. It was decorated similarly with whites and golds but lacked the black accents. There were four huge, rectangular chandeliers lighting the room, but somehow they provided less light than Stretch thought they should be capable. Tables had been set up all around with white tablecloths and golden chairs.

Edge let go of his arm after they’d entered the banquet hall, and Stretch couldn’t help but feel a little sad about that. He honestly wouldn’t have minded having Edge hang onto him all night long. Then again, that might give people the idea that they were a couple, and he was pretty sure Edge wanted to avoid that. 

They found their table quickly enough. It seemed each table had little place cards with the name of the lawyer and the number of guests they had with them. The only one at this table was Edge’s, and Stretch had to wonder if that was because it was one table per party or because Edge had made a fuss about having his own table. Stretch wouldn’t be surprised either way. 

Once they sat down, Stretch immediately poured himself a glass of ice water from the pitcher sitting in the middle of the table. It was only then that he noticed there were little rolls of silverware and white, paper placemats. He knew there would be dinner, but he still hadn’t asked Edge what was going to be served. At the time Edge had invited him, he’d been too nervous to ask for fear that Edge would think he’d only agreed for the food. 

Edge sighed and rubbed his temples, something he only did when he was feeling stressed to the point of leaving the office early. Before Stretch could ask if he was okay, he spoke. 

“I’m sorry, Stretch,” he said softly. 

He’d obviously missed something. “okay, for what?”

Edge looked at him then, half through his fingers, and his expression was one of disbelief. “Where have you been the last ten minutes?”

Yeah, he’d missed something big. He swallowed and set his glass down before he could try to choke on water. “uhh...kind of lost in my head? this place is a little overwhelming.” It wasn’t exactly a lie.

Edge nodded. “It can be. I’m apologizing because everyone we talked to between the front door and our table has attempted to flirt with you. I can see now that you weren’t aware enough to be interested, but if you had been then I would have to tell you that normally I don’t like to get in the middle of that, but this is strictly business.”

Stretch nodded, something in his soul telling him there was more to it than that. What, he couldn't guess. Maybe Edge was worried about losing his secretary if Stretch decided to go work for someone else he had the hots for. The thought was almost hilarious. He’d been pining for Edge for so long now he wasn’t even sure if he could develop a crush on anyone else. Certainly not in the span of two minutes, or however long it had taken them to get to their table. 

“yeah, no, i wasn’t here enough to care,” he said with a laugh. 

Edge only nodded, but he seemed relieved. 

The ceremony finally started, and Stretch would be hard-pressed to say he remembered most of it. The food was pretty good, steak and mashed potatoes with some kind of vegetable Stretch couldn’t name. He did at least try it, and it wasn’t half bad. He’d requested soda with his dinner while Edge had ordered some kind of fancy-sounding wine, and they’d both had refills before they’d finished eating. 

Once everyone was done eating, a speaker got up and made a few lame lawyer jokes before they got to the actual reason they were all there. 

As the first several awards were given out, Stretch kept an eye on Edge. He was on his fourth glass of wine, and who knew how long the rest of the evening was going to last. Stretch couldn’t honestly say how well Edge held his alcohol; he’d never seen his boss drunk before. Hell, he’d never even seen him  _ drink. _

He knew well enough that at least part of the reason Edge was drinking tonight was because he was going to have to get up in front of all these people that he didn’t know and give some kind of thank you speech. It was different from being in court where he was spouting facts and fighting for someone’s innocence. This was personal. Ish. 

Edge had finished glass five when his award came up. Young Lawyer of the Year, and yeah, when Stretch thought about it, most of the humans there were pretty gray or balding. The speaker gave him an introduction and then called him up. Stretch almost wanted to offer to walk up there with him lest he trip or wobble in those heels, but no, Edge made his way up just fine. He didn’t even sway once. 

He did hesitate for a moment before beginning his speech, however, and Stretch hated seeing that blush rise in his cheekbones. He wished he could be up there with him, give him some kind of encouragement.

He finally cleared his throat and began speaking. His speech had been rehearsed a few times in the office with only Stretch as his audience, and as hard as Stretch had tried to convince him to have a slip of paper for notes, Edge was adamant he had it memorized. He was right, it seemed; he spoke so confidently and gave all of his thank yous. Toward the end of the speech, he looked right at Stretch, and Stretch gave him his best encouraging smile. To his surprise, Edge stumbled over his words, stopped, and then apologized before wrapping up hastily. 

He made it back to the table without further incident and cursed when he tried to take a drink from his empty glass. Stretch watched as he asked for another one, not sure if he should say something. 

He decided to keep his mouth shut for now. He wasn’t Edge’s babysitter and he sure as hell wasn’t going to act like it. 

“hey, good job,” he said, nudging Edge with his elbow. 

Edge huffed and rolled his eye lights but otherwise didn’t comment. Oh well.

As the evening wore on, Stretch did his best to stay awake. He heard Edge groan a few times and it always seemed to be whenever one of the award winners would either thank their spouse or get a kiss from their spouse after accepting their award. What was going on with him? Granted, Stretch had never been with Edge in a setting like this, but he’d also never seen Edge act so disgusted by a little display of affection.

Finally,  _ finally _ , the ceremony ended and people began filing out of the banquet hall. 

Stretch thought about offering his arm to help Edge keep his balance, but decided against it. At least, until Edge nearly tripped, grumbled about a rug that wasn’t there, and grabbed his arm anyway. Yeah, he wasn’t going to complain about that. 

Outside, the valet pulled the car around and Stretch snagged the keys before Edge could. 

“Excuse me, that is _my_ car,” he said with a frown. 

Stretch nodded. “yeah, but i’m driving you home.”

Edge looked at him, his eye lights diffused from the wine, and Stretch nearly laughed at the look on his face. It was obvious he was trying to be annoyed, but he was having a hard time with it.

“Why?” he asked obstinately. 

Stretch did laugh then. “seriously? edge, you’re drunk as hell. i’m driving you home or you’re taking a taxi.”

Edge grumbled out a sigh and rolled his eye lights, but he gave in. “Fine.” He pulled away from Stretch and got into the passenger side. 

Sending a silent thank you to the Angel for letting Edge see reason, he hurried around the car and got into the driver’s seat. Before he could even start, Edge leaned over and shoved an accusing finger in his face. 

“But you damn well better drive safely!” he all but shouted. “This car is very important to me.”

Stretch smirked; all the more reason to keep Edge from driving tonight. “of course i will. fasten your seatbelt, boss.”

Edge shot him a look but did as he’d been told. 

Halfway home, he surprised Stretch again for the tenth time that night. 

“You know, I can’t help but envy those other lawyers,” he said softly. At first, Stretch thought he was going to have to ask what he meant, but then he continued. His voice was even softer than before. “The ones with families. Friends. Lovers.” 

Oh boy. Stretch tightened his hands on the steering wheel and told himself he would listen no matter what Edge was going to tell him. He never spoke about his feelings or any loved ones, but he had to have loved someone once. A person didn’t shut everyone out as effectively as Edge did without being burnt a time or two. 

Did any of that change the fact that Stretch so badly wanted Edge to love him? No, of course not, and listening to him talk about past lovers was bound to hurt, but he’d never tell Edge to bottle that shit up even more. 

“It’s been a while, you know,” Edge said, leaning back in his seat and staring out the window. “I honestly can’t even say when the last time I loved someone was. It’s hard to remember those things when you have a new love clouding all that out.” 

New love? Stretch’s soul clenched tightly in his chest. Listening to Edge talk about past loves was one thing, but how much worse was it going to be listening to him talk about someone he loved right now? Someone other than Stretch? 

He swallowed and took a deep breath. “y-yeah, it is.” 

“One thing that’s very fucking clear tonight is that they’re all going to go home and be with their lovers, and I’m going to go home and be alone. I don’t want to be alone.” 

How could a drive home take so damn long? It felt like they’d been on the road for hours instead of minutes. He kept his eyes straight ahead when Edge shifted in his seat. He wasn’t even going to look to see if Edge was being sexy. He was always sexy. Nothing new there. 

“Do you ever feel like that, Stretch?” Edge asked, his voice dripping with sensuality. “Do you ever just...want to be with someone?”

Did he ever. He cleared his throat and nodded, his fingers so tight on the wheel that he felt like he might break it. 

He finally turned down Edge’s street and parked in the driveway. He got out, expecting Edge to follow. When he didn’t, he went around and opened the door. Edge looked up at him and smiled an actual smile. 

“Such a gentleman,” he said, his voice giving away just how drunk he was. He held out a hand and let Stretch help him out of the car. He’d taken off his shoes, and before Edge could leave them in the car for Morning Edge to bitch about, Stretch reached in and grabbed them before locking up the car. 

He helped Edge walk up the few steps to his front door, all the while thinking he’d just get Edge inside, say goodnight, and get the fuck out of there. 

All of those plans flew right out the window when the door shut behind them and Edge pushed Stretch up against the door, standing on his tiptoes to lean in and kiss him. Stunned, Stretch couldn’t move for a second as Edge pressed his body close and all but shoved his tongue into Stretch’s mouth. 

Something came over him then. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he felt his arms wrap around Edge and pull him impossibly closer as he kissed him back fervently.

He came back to himself in a sudden burst of clarity and broke the kiss, pushing Edge back to hold him at arm’s length. 

“whoa, edge, hang on. you’re drunk.” 

Edge tried to get close again. “Yes, I’m well aware that I’m drunk, Stretch. But do you know what I also am? I’m lonely, and I want you to stay and keep me company.” He stopped struggling then and looked up at Stretch with a truly unfair expression. “I’ve seen how you look at me when you think I’m not paying attention,” he said seductively, his tone matching the seduction in his sockets. “You want me. Admit it, Stretch, you want to fuck me.”

Stretch swallowed thickly. On one hand, he could lie in an attempt to get Edge to stop this. It wasn’t fair. Edge was drunk, and yeah, Stretch wanted him desperately, but not like this. But, if he lied, then he’d probably break Edge’s heart along with any possible chance he might have, no matter how small it was. 

On the other hand, he could admit the truth and hope that he could still talk Edge out of this. But, if he admitted the truth, how fired would he be in the morning? He may have noticed him looking, but how likely was it that Sober Edge had really caught on to why he was looking? 

Shit, he couldn’t lie. Not to Edge. 

He sighed. “yeah, i do,” he said, his hands tightening on Edge’s arms. “but i’m not going to. not tonight, edge. not like this.”

It seemed in that moment all of the fight drained out of Edge. He was left looking up at Stretch with wide sockets, his face betraying his hurt. “Why not?”

Fuck, Stretch’s soul hurt with that expression. “because you can’t give me consent tonight. not really. not the kind of consent i need. i’m sorry, edge; i don’t want to hurt you, but i hope you can understand that’s why i’m saying no.”

Edge was silent for a long moment, staring at Stretch’s chest. Finally, he sniffled and took a step back. Stretch’s soul felt like it might shatter as Edge nodded, keeping his face turned down as he took wobbly steps into the other room. 

Goddammit! He wanted to comfort Edge, to assure him that he wasn’t alone, but how much more pain was he going to cause if he tried? Maybe he should just leave. At least that way he could keep from causing any more damage. 

He couldn’t decide if he should say goodbye, stuck warring with himself over pros and cons, when Edge called out to him. 

“Stretch will you come here for a moment, please?” he asked, his voice soft and only half dejected. 

Bracing himself for anything, Stretch went to see where Edge was. 

He was in his room, sitting on his bed. He’d changed out of the evening's outfit and was instead wearing a pair of dark sweats and a gray t-shirt. 

“edge…” 

Edge looked up at him. “I’m not going to ask you to do anything,” he said, a sad but hopeful expression on his face. “I was wondering if you might...if you might still stay with me? Even if you wanted to sleep on the couch, I would understand. I just really don’t want to be alone.”

How could he say no to that?

He walked in and sat down next to Edge and took his hand. “i’ll stay with you,” he said, squeezing his fingers. He wanted to play it safe and sleep on the couch, but he knew that wasn’t what Edge really needed. “if you promise to behave, i can sleep in here with you.” 

Edge looked at him with a sad smile. “I promise I’ll behave. Would you like some pajamas?”

Well, he really didn’t want to sleep in the reaper suit, so he nodded. Edge stood up and swayed, nearly toppling over before Stretch grabbed him and eased him back down. 

“how ‘bout you just tell me where they are, yeah?”

He did, and soon Stretch was in the bathroom getting changed. He folded up his suit and went to set it on the kitchen table. He took a minute to let the dogs in and feed them, then gave them both some scritches and kisses before making his way back to Edge’s bedroom with a glass of water. 

Edge was already laying down under the covers, but his eyes were still open. 

“hey, sit up and drink this.” Stretch set the glass on the bedside table before helping Edge to sit up enough to drink. He could only get down half the glass, but Stretch figured that was better than nothing. 

Stretch then went around and turned off all of the lights and made sure the doors were locked before getting into bed next to Edge. 

It was weird as hell, especially when Edge immediately turned on his side and snuggled up to him. 

“hey, you said--”

“I’m behaving,” Edge interrupted. But he went still and looked up at him. “Or is this too much?”

He’d been dreaming about holding Edge for going on three years now. He could hold Edge without regrets, right? It wasn’t sex. But on the other hand, how close to that line was it? 

Fuck it. He wrapped his arms around Edge and pulled him in tightly. “no, it’s not too much.” 

Edge sighed contentedly and relaxed against him. It felt nice. 

As Stretch held his sleeping boss and listened to the puppies milling around the house, he found himself remembering that kiss. As hard as he tried to push it out of his thoughts, it always came back. He sighed and looked down at Edge, his head resting on his shoulder. Was that really comfortable? It had to have been, because Edge was out like a light. 

His eyes traced the lines of Edge’s sharp teeth as he wished the circumstances were different so he could lean and kiss him again. 

His thoughts took another sudden turn, imagining too loudly in his skull what could have happened if he was just more of a douche. He could have been with Edge in all the ways he’d thought on long, lonely nights when he’d pleasured himself to thoughts of him. 

Yeah, no, that wasn’t helping. That was fantasy, and this was reality. 

Both dogs jumped onto the bed and curled up by skeleton feet. Stretch took the distraction and played with the pups as best he could by wiggling his toes until one of them bit a little too hard. He yelped a little too loudly--puppy teeth were sharp as fuck!--startling not only the dogs but Edge as well. 

Thankfully, Edge only squirmed a little before he fell right back to sleep. The dogs both leapt off the bed to go play with toys or whatever it was puppies did at night. Stretch sighed deeply and closed his eyes. He was tired, honestly, and he had a feeling he was going to need as much rest as possible to deal with whatever was coming for him in the morning. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments are delicious and feed my muses


	3. Chapter 3

Stretch was pretty used to waking up to a dog licking his face. That wasn’t what was abnormal. What was abnormal was the size of the dog and that there were two of them. 

He opened his eyes to see both Bia and Astrea standing over him on the bed. Edge had already gotten up, apparently, and Stretch found himself reluctant to go find him. He knew they needed to talk, but he also kind of wished he could sneak out the window and deal with this later. 

“Bia! Strea!” Edge’s voice didn’t sound nearly as commanding as it normally did when he yelled, but that probably had something to do with the hangover he had to have. “What are you girls doing? I told you to leave him alone.” He sighed and came in holding a coffee cup in his hands and a blush on his cheekbones. “I’m sorry they woke you up,” he said, averting his eyes. 

Stretch yawned and pushed the dogs away before they could try their frenching skills on him, then sat up. “eh, it’s no big deal. i’m used to being woken up by puppy breath. speaking of, i should probably go check on cujo.” 

Edge seemed to hesitate on something for a second before he sucked in a deep breath and squared his shoulders. “Could you stay for a moment? I’d like to talk to you. About…about last night.”

Stretch swallowed and nodded. He stood up, taking a moment to give both puppies a good amount of scritches. “yeah. yeah, that would probably be a, uh…a good idea.” He supposed he was going to find out how badly he’d messed up last night by not just leaving. Edge didn’t like people seeing his weaknesses, Stretch knew that, and still he’d stayed. 

“I don’t have much in the way of breakfast, but I believe there’s some oatmeal. You’re also welcome to some coffee.”

Oatmeal wasn't actually food according to Stretch, but he sure as hell needed some coffee for this conversation. He nodded and followed Edge to the kitchen. They were both silent as he made his cup, nearly gagged on the bitterness, and dumped a few spoonfuls of sugar into it. Edge didn’t have any creamer, but he had milk, and that would have to do. 

Once he’d doctored his coffee enough that he could swallow it, they went to the table and sat down. 

Edge’s fingers fidgeted with his coffee cup as he stared down at it. “First of all, I’d like to thank you. For...everything, really. For going with me, for not letting me drive, for saying no, and for staying.”

Stretch shrugged. “it’s--” 

“Please don’t tell me it’s no big deal,” Edge said, his eye lights darting to meet Stretch’s. “It is a big deal, at least to me.”

Well. “uh, you’re welcome then?”

Edge nodded. “I’m sure there were many things last night that were unexpected, to say the least. I can tell you I’d very much like to bury the whole evening in a shallow grave and forget it ever happened, but I…” he stopped for a second, hesitating, then took a sip of coffee and took a breath before continuing. “I can’t help but feel I would be doing us both a great disservice if I were to try.”

“what do you mean?” Stretch asked, reaching down to absently scratch Bia’s head while Astrea sat looking up at Edge. 

“I have to admit something,” he said solemnly. His fingers tightened on his mug as he hesitated again. “I wasn’t being entirely truthful last night. I have seen you look at me, but I was...it was only…” He cleared his throat and looked away, a blush creeping up on his cheekbones as he fought with himself over saying what he thought he needed to say. When he spoke again, his words came in a rush. “It was only wishful thinking that you might be interested in me.”

Oh. Okay. So what did that mean? Stretch had a feeling he was about to find out. 

When Edge didn’t say anything for a moment, Stretch leaned over a little, resting his elbows on the table. 

“so what happens now that you know how i feel?” he asked, a little nervous. 

Edge swallowed again, then as if remembering he had coffee, took a few sips before answering. “I suppose this is where I tell you that I feel the same.” He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again and looking at Stretch. “And by that I mean I’ve been trying to get you to look at me. It’s...I don’t think I’d say it’s the entire reason, but a part of the reason I’ve been wearing the things I’ve been wearing recently. You seem to respond a little more when I dress a little fancier.”

That was true enough. As nice as Edge always looked in everything, there was something extra special about seeing him in a skirt or heels or a nice blouse as opposed to a tailored suit.

Hold the fucking phone.

All of a sudden, the actual meaning of Edge’s words slapped Stretch in the face. He nearly choked on his own tongue as his soul tried to pound its way out of his chest. His cheekbones were burning so brightly he could see the glow from the bottoms of his sockets.

“okay, wait, hang on, you feel the same, as in, you actually like me? i mean, like, you like-like me?”

Edge nodded. “Last night in the car, I believe I said something about new love clouding out old ones? I don’t know how to say this properly, Stretch, but I am very much interested in you. I can’t help but hope you’re still interested in me after last night.”

“am i ever!” The words slipped out before he could stop them, and he clapped a hand over his mouth. 

Edge gave him a soft smile. “I’m glad to hear it.”

Was this actually happening? He hadn’t fallen into some kind of coma last night and this was all a dream, right? Because that would really suck. 

He waved his hand in front of Bia’s face for a second, teasing and toying with her, until she playfully bit him hoping for a toy. “ow! okay, yeah, this is real.” 

“Bia!” Edge called. The poor dog hunkered down thinking she was in trouble.

“no, that was my fault,” Stretch hurried to say, petting Bia’s head. “pinching doesn’t exactly work for skeletons; i needed another test to make sure i’m not dreaming right now.”

Edge’s cheekbones darkened just a little, but he nodded. “I see. No, you’re not dreaming. I have to ask you something, Stretch, and I need you to be honest with me.”

Stretch looked at him and nodded. “okay, yeah.”

“If you and I were to start dating, which I hope we would, would you be comfortable still working as my secretary?”

He had to take a second to wonder why Edge was even asking. “why wouldn’t i be?”

Edge shrugged. “Because a relationship should be equal, but at work I’m your boss.”

Stretch almost had to laugh at that, but he told himself that Edge had a point. “yeah, but work stuff isn’t relationship stuff. and i mean, yeah, it’d be nice to kiss you from time to time at the office, but i wouldn’t expect you to treat me like i’m suddenly a business partner or something. you can respect me as your partner while still holding me accountable as your secretary.”

Edge seemed to relax after that, his stiff shoulders dropping and the lingering worry on his face melting away. “I can’t tell you how relieving that is. I hoped you’d feel that way; you’re perhaps the most efficient secretary I’ve ever had.”

Stretch couldn’t help but grin. “that’s why you fell for me, isn’t it?”

Edge snorted. “Hardly.”

Yeah, but now he was intrigued. “then why?”

“I suppose I could lie and tell you it’s simply because you’re nice to look at.”

Okay, so it wasn’t just about his looks. 

“To be honest with you, Stretch, I don’t know that I can say why. There isn’t a singular reason.” He looked down at his coffee mug again and asked quietly, “Can I ask you the same question?”

Stretch reached out to take Edge’s hand and met his eye lights when he looked over. “it’s the same for me, edge; there’s no one reason to rule them all. you’re so much more than the pile of assumptions i had in my head when i first met you. and, really, tripping over all those misconceptions and finding the real you under all that stoic professionalism is probably what did it. not to mention you’re really nice to look at.”

Edge snorted. “You have a skewed concept of beauty.”

“mm, no, i’m pretty sure that’s you. i know pretty things when i see them, and you, edge, are gorgeous.” Hot damn, it felt nice to say that out loud!

“I’m not,” he said adamantly. 

Well, there was plenty of time to convince him otherwise. Better not to start their first fight as a couple over it. 

Or, well, were they a couple yet? How did people define these things? Did they have to go on a date first?

Speaking of dates, where the hell was Stretch going to take someone like Edge?

“You can stop thinking any time,” Edge said, interrupting Stretch’s spiraling thoughts. 

He looked up, smirking guiltily. “so, when is our first date?”

Edge raised a brow bone. “Last night, of course.”

Stretch huffed. “that’s not really fair. how am i supposed to top that?”

The sudden blush that erupted on Edge’s face was intriguing to say the least. He cleared his throat and sucked in a breath. “You don’t have to top that, Stretch. All I ask is that our next date does not require me to do any kind of public speaking.”

As much as he wanted to beg Edge to tell him what he was thinking a moment ago, he decided to let it go. If he wanted to say it out loud, he would have. “well, i’m not sure i can promise that. i might want you to talk to me while we’re out in public, so…” he trailed off and laughed when Edge rolled his eye lights. 

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

“yeah, i do know it.” 

They were both silent for a moment, finishing up their coffee. Stretch honestly did need to get home to check on his cotton ball, but he didn’t want to even think about leaving yet. Some part of him refused to listen to logic and feared that as soon as he left, all of this would disappear. 

Edge squeezed his fingers before lifting his hand to kiss the back of it. He didn’t say anything as he stood up and took his mug to the kitchen. Stretch swallowed the last bit of his coffee then followed him. 

“I suppose you need to get home,” Edge said as he loaded the two mugs into the dishwasher. 

Stretch sighed. “i guess.”

Edge looked up at him. “You know we’ll see each other at the office tomorrow.”

Yeah, but that was different. He couldn’t bring himself to say anything before Edge closed the dishwasher and pushed himself up against him. A little surprised, Stretch wrapped his arms around Edge and held gently. 

“It will be okay,” Edge said softly. Stretch couldn’t be sure he was talking to him or to himself. “Cujo needs you, and I need to sleep off this damn headache.” 

Stretch didn’t resist the urge to press a kiss to Edge’s skull, a soft one in hopes that it might help. Edge’s arms tightened around him in a hard squeeze before he pulled back. He didn’t step away, however. He looked up at Stretch with a soft smile for a moment before reaching up to cup his jaw. 

“Kiss me?” he asked, and if there was a touch of desperation in his tone, Stretch ignored it. 

He leaned down and gave in to the urge he’d had for years now, giving Edge the kind of first kiss he deserved. Their tongues slid together, exploring each other almost reverently. Stretch pulled him in tighter, barely holding back a moan as Edge held onto him. 

Edge pulled back first and smiled that sweet, secret smile up at him. “Thank you again for everything, Stretch.” 

Stretch nodded. “anytime.”

They both decided Stretch would just wear the clothes he’d borrowed from Edge and wash them, then return them at the office tomorrow. He managed to steal another kiss before he forced himself to walk out the door. 

At his apartment, he took a few minutes to thank his past self for thinking to put out extra puppy pads for the poor cotton ball. Cujo had used them all but was already vibrating and ready for a walk the second Stretch stepped foot in the door. 

After a walk to a local park where Cujo could run and play as much as his teeny tiny heart desired and Stretch could sit under a tree thinking about everything that had happened in the span of twenty-four hours, they played a few rough games of tug-of-war, and then Stretch fed the beast and went to take a shower. And likely daydream about his boss some more. 

The next morning, Stretch made it to work a few minutes early. Edge’s car was already there, which honestly wasn’t surprising, but the sudden spike of anxiety was. A little bit. He hadn’t talked to Edge at all since the day before, and maybe that wasn’t a bad thing, but he’d hesitated texting goodnight, fearing he might get annoying if he did. 

He took a deep breath and pushed that aside. This was work, and he’d told Edge that a relationship between them wouldn’t affect his work. He was going to make good on that. 

The moment he walked in the door, he froze. Sitting on his desk was a large arrangement of several different types of flowers, all different but equally bright colors. He walked up to it slowly like it might explode if he was too fast. There was a sunflower, a few pink and white posies, some marigolds, and a few others that Stretch couldn’t name. 

As he looked it over, he felt Edge approach him. He looked up to see him wearing one of his more traditional suits. 

“I saw them and thought of you,” he said, tucking his hands into his pockets. “They’re so colorful and full of life, just like you.” He paused for only a second before asking, “is it too much?

Stretch lightly touched one of the soft petals. “no, they’re beautiful.” He grinned then and added, “just like you.”

Edge snorted. “I’m not nearly that colorful.” 

“maybe not,” Stretch said with a shrug, “but you’re just as stunning.” 

His fingertips found the card nestled toward the bottom of the flower stems where they disappeared into the basket. He pulled it out and read it silently.  _ To the one who makes me smile.  _ He looked at Edge then, and didn’t try to stop himself from stepping forward. Edge met him halfway in a kiss that left them both breathless. 

“We should probably get to work,” Edge suggested, stepping back to smooth a hand down the front of his own jacket. 

Stretch nodded. “yeah, probably.” They had all day and after business hours to get their fill of kisses, but work had actual deadlines. 

The day was spent preparing for an upcoming trial as well as all of the other everyday work that needed to get done. Throughout all of it, Stretch found himself taking little breaks to sniff the flowers and read the card. Lunch was spent talking about what they might want to do for their next date followed by an intense makeout session that probably shouldn’t have happened at work. Somehow they managed to pry themselves apart to finish up the last half of the day. 

After work, they both agreed that they would like sweet goodnight and good morning texts. It was maybe a little silly, but so was young love. 

And so the day turned into a week, each passing in much the same way. When the weekend finally came around, Stretch took Edge to a park where they could have a picnic and feed the ducks in the pond. While they were there, a few deer wandered in, one with small antlers atop his head. Edge sat frozen as he watched them. They didn’t stay long, soon spooked away by the screaming laughter of nearby children. 

“I don’t think I take nearly enough time to appreciate the world around me,” Edge admitted after the deer disappeared. “I’ve lived here for most of my life and I never even knew this park existed.”

Stretch leaned into him, resting his head on his shoulder. “maybe, but now you have me to make you slow down long enough to notice.”

Edge pressed a sweet kiss to his forehead. “You’re right, I do.” 

They ended the date at Stretch’s apartment. He hadn’t expected anything more than a kiss goodnight, but that kiss soon escalated into something not suitable for any of his neighbors to witness. He and Edge stumbled inside, doing their best to ignore a yipping Cujo at their feet and leaving a trail of clothing behind until they ended up in his bed. Their lovemaking was slow and tender, taking the time to appreciate each other’s bodies and the love building between them. Afterward, they fell asleep in each other’s arms. 

The next morning saw a repeat performance followed by Edge walking Cujo while Stretch cooked up some eggs for breakfast. 

As much as they wanted to spend the whole day together, they hadn’t planned for it, and they both had other obligations. They said goodbye with the promise of seeing each other soon. 

As the weeks went on and Stretch allowed himself to sneak in as many kisses at the office as he could, he wondered if it might someday get boring to lean over Edge at his desk and plant a sweet kiss to his cheek or be sitting at his own desk only to look up and see Edge there waiting for a kiss of his own. 

No, he decided. It would never get boring. Not even in a hundred years when he and Edge were both long retired and living together with their five dogs, eight cats, and seven birds, he knew he’d still get a thrill when he could simply lean over and kiss his love whenever he wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ready for some fun facts?!
> 
> Edge’s puppies are both three months old, so still small but not really babies anymore. 
> 
> Stretch has had his little cotton floof for five years, but he’s not actually sure how old he is. The vet says maybe seven. 
> 
> Puppy names!!!
> 
> Bia - Greek Goddess of force and raw energy
> 
> Astrea - Greek Goddess of justice, innocence, purity and precision.
> 
> Cujo - I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that at least some people remember this dog or have at least heard the name before. For the few who might not have, he’s a fictional Saint Bernard in a Steven King novel (and movie) who contracts rabies and becomes a Not-So-Good-Boy.


End file.
